Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Hardaway Jr., Cho
Tim Hardaway Jr. is finally starting to reward the Hawks for last June’s draft night trade that brought the former Knicks shooting guard to Atlanta, KL Chouinard of NBA.com writes. The swingman saw more D-League action than NBA minutes earlier in the season as he struggled to recover from a wrist injury he suffered last March, Chouinard notes. “I do think he had an injury that was a bit understated,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “His conditioning and his strength coming off the summer probably wasn’t where we would like it to be, and ultimately defense is where that stuff tends to come out.”
Budenholzer said Hardaway also needed to improve his dedication to playing defense prior to becoming a regular member of the team’s rotation, the scribe relays. “He really wasn’t going to be getting the opportunities that he wanted, that every player craves,” Budenholzer said, “if he wasn’t better and if we didn’t feel like he was committed to that end of the court the way he is right now. What he is doing on that end of the court – his activity and ability to get through screens and shift and rebound – I’m very pleased with his progress.”
Here’s more from out of the Southeast:
- The Hornets went into this past summer with the goal of diversifying their offensive attack and adding players who could stretch the floor with their outside shooting, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. “In the offseason, we made a concerted effort to try and improve a lot at the offensive end — in particular, our shooting — as well as improve our overall skill level,” GM Rich Cho said. “And when we tried to do that, we tried to find some guys with some versatility. We brought in Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lamb, Jeremy Lin, Frank Kaminsky — they can all play more than one position. And we think they complement Cody Zeller and Mike [Michael Kidd-Gilchrist], who can also play more than one position.“
- The moves to change up the team’s offensive attack were made with center Al Jefferson mind, as defenses were focused on shutting down the big man’s game in the post, the NBA.com scribe notes in the same piece. Jefferson, who will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, doesn’t fit the mold of today’s prototypical NBA center, but he isn’t worried about becoming obsolete, Aldridge relays. “It’s good to have that experience and just watch the league change before your eyes,” Jefferson said. “And I really believe it’s going to change back. It’s just like clothes. Clothes always come back in style. I really believe the league is going to get back big again. I might be long gone. I might be watching in my La-Z-Boy, but I really believe it’s going to go back big again, like when I first got in the league. It’s a cycle. It’s going to take one team to go big and do it. It’s a copycat league. Watch me. You’re going to remember when you talked to me today. It might be 10 years, but you’re going to remember, ‘He said it!’“
Atlantic Notes: Davis, Jackson, Young
The Sixers have shown an increased willingness to add veterans to their roster since Jerry Colangelo was hired for a front office role, but the team isn’t currently thinking about signing Baron Davis, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. Davis recently joined the Sixers’ D-League affiliate in Delaware, but Philadelphia wants to observe his play over a period of time prior to making a decision, Aldridge adds. “I have great respect for what he used to do,” coach Brett Brown said regarding Davis. “I don’t ever remember rushing home to watch a playoff series like I did to watch that Dallas-Golden State series [in 2007]. And I get flashbacks of that every time I hear his name. But we have not talked much about that, if at all.”
“I’d characterize it as, it’s an 87ers’ move, not a 76ers’ move, but consistent with our strategy,” said Delaware GM Brandon Williams of signing Davis. “I was told we want to identify, develop, and give opportunity to talent. For the first couple of years, we’ve kind of been devouring the market for young prospects, that maybe people have passed over. We took a chance with Earl Clark, a guy that people know. But there’s still some game there. Is there enough? Is he still thirsty enough, is he still hungry enough, can he help a team? Then we take a chance with Baron. He says, ‘the last time I left a court, it was on a stretcher.’”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks team president Phil Jackson didn’t land center DeAndre Jordan when he was an unrestricted free agent last summer, but the big man says he came away impressed with the executive after their meeting, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. Jordan noted his time with Jackson included a discussion of off-court topics, the executive’s vision for the team and a pitch regarding the triangle offense, Begley adds. “They showed me some things, how I’d fit in in that offense and what I would do to excel as a player and what we’d do to excel as a team,” Jordan said. “The message [from Jackson] was just for me to be an all-around player and improve my game as much as I could. Phil was great; it was one of my best meetings. He’s such a smart man, such a deep thinker, that you want to be a part of that. He’s won, he proven it. … He made it tough to say no.“
- The Celtics have assigned swingman James Young to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This will be Young’s ninth stint of the season with the Red Claws.
Eric Gordon To Miss Remainder Of Season
Eric Gordon will miss the remainder of the 2015/16 season as a result of successful surgery today to repair damage to his fractured right ring finger, the Pelicans announced via press release. This was the same finger Gordon broke in January, an injury that forced him to miss approximately five weeks. Scott Agness of VigilantSports first reported Gordon was to undergo surgery.
New Orleans has been slammed with injuries this season, with Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Bryce Dejean-Jones having also suffered season–ending maladies. The NBA granted a hardship exception allowing the Pelicans to add a 16th player to their roster, and New Orleans is poised to take advantage, having reached agreement with Orlando Johnson on a 10-day pact.
Gordon, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, averaged 15.4 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds through 45 games. His career numbers are 16.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists to accompany a shooting line of .435/.383/.814.
Dwight Howard Interested In Knicks?
Some friends of Dwight Howard indicated recently that he would have interest in signing to play in New York if he opts out from the Rockets this summer, league sources told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Begley shares the tidbit within a larger piece about Phil Jackson‘s approach in free agent pitch meetings, so presumably it’s in reference to the Knicks and not the Nets. It’s unclear whether the Knicks have mutual interest, according to Begley, and it also remains to be seen just how highly the former All-Star center regards the Knicks compared to other free agent destinations that appeal to him. Bucks broadcaster Gus Johnson said Howard told him he likes Milwaukee and wanted to join the Bucks at the trade deadline.
Talks between the Bucks and Rockets reportedly fell apart because Howard wouldn’t agree to opt in, and Howard is expected to turn down his player option in search of a more lucrative max deal. Just what happens when he hits free agency is much more difficult to predict, and not just because of the big man’s history of back-and-forth decision-making. Howard recently fired agent Dan Fegan and has yet to name a replacement. The Rockets were apparently in touch with the Mavericks, Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Heat, Bucks and Raptors about Howard as they engaged teams in trade talks about Howard but found the market for the 30-year-old underwhelming.
The nature of Howard’s relationship with the Rockets is also tough to discern. He’s widely expected to leave in free agency, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote last month, but he’s denied that he asked to be traded and said he wants to be successful in Houston. Howard has downplayed rumors of discord between him and James Harden.
The Knicks have only about $55MM in guaranteed salary for next season against a salary cap projected to come in between $90MM and $95MM, though that doesn’t include player options for Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams. New York wouldn’t have the cap flexibility necessary to pay Howard his max of some $30MM for next season if Afflalo and Williams opt in.
Central Notes: Lawson, LeBron, Irving, Moore
The Rockets were willing to replace Ty Lawson with Michael Beasley, which underscores the risk the Pacers assume with their new point guard, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. Taylor nonetheless believes Lawson and Indiana need each other. Much depends on how Lawson performs down the stretch, Taylor believes, and his debut for the team Monday was inauspicious, since he left after five minutes with a sprained foot, as Taylor notes in a separate piece. Lawson is day-to-day, coach Frank Vogel said, according to Taylor. See more from the Central Division:
- LeBron James and Kyrie Irving don’t have a personality conflict, but a disconnect exists between their games on the floor, said several scouts and coaches who spoke with Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. It’s one of many challenges facing the Cavaliers who face a situation James couldn’t have envisioned when he returned, with a stacked roster that still hasn’t found a groove, Mannix writes.
- The Bucks are giving Giannis Antetokounmpo minutes at point guard, but they probably don’t envision him as a full-time solution at that position, as the key for the team down the stretch is simply to see how Antetokoumpo and Jabari Parker can continue to mesh together, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says in a video. Injured starting point man Michael Carter-Williams has a “murky” future with the team, leading Gardner to believe Milwaukee will look for a point guard this summer.
- E’Twaun Moore delivers at both ends and at both guard positions, making him indispensable for the Bulls as he enters free agency this summer, opines K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Pelicans Get 16th Roster Spot, Eye Guards
1:42pm: The Pelicans are expected to use the roster spot on a guard, just as they did in December, the last time they had a hardship exception, Kushner writes. They signed Jimmer Fredette then, as Kushner points out. Fredette is once more a free agent following the expiration of his 10-day contract with the Knicks.
1:16pm: The NBA has given the Pelicans a 16th roster spot via hardship to offset their injuries, sources tell Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter link). The team has two days from the time the league formally grants the provision to use it. The roster spot lasts 10 days, though the team can apply to renew it.
It appears the latest injury to Eric Gordon triggered the hardship. Gordon is reportedly having surgery today after breaking his right ring finger for the second time in less than two months, and the Pelicans fear the soon-to-be free agent will miss the rest of the season. Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Bryce Dejean-Jones have already suffered season–ending injuries. The hardship comes into play when at least four players are likely to miss two or more weeks, and with Gordon under the knife, that appears to be the case for New Orleans.
Injuries have ravaged the Pelicans throughout the season, capsizing what appeared to be a team on the rise, and Coach Alvin Gentry this past weekend acknowledged the need to shift the focus to the long-term future rather than an 11th-hour bid for a playoff spot. Thus, with six and a half games separating them from a playoff spot, the Pelicans seem more likely to go after players with upside than older veterans. Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports linked the team to Orlando Johnson and Elijah Millsap in a January report that also mentioned Dejean-Jones, who eventually joined the team. Millsap just reached a buyout agreement with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, sources told Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi (Twitter link),
Suns Sign Chase Budinger
TUESDAY, 11:40am: The signing is official, the team announced.
7:41pm: The Suns will give Budinger a prorated veteran’s minimum contract that runs through the end of this season, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. The signing is expected to take place after Budinger clears waivers on Monday.
SATURDAY, 5:04pm: The Suns intend to sign Chase Budinger provided he clears waivers, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). Phoenix has a roster count of 13 players after waiving shooting guard Sonny Weems earlier today, so no additional move is required to sign the swingman. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News and Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star first reported that the Suns were the front-runners to sign Budinger.
The small forward agreed to a buyout with the Pacers and officially hit waivers earlier today. Budinger, 27, appeared in 48 games for the Pacers this season prior to his release. He averaged 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 15.0 minutes per night to accompany a shooting line of .419/.299/.708. The veteran shooter’s career numbers are 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
Indiana was reportedly attempting to trade Budinger leading up to February’s trade deadline, but the Pacers found no takers for the remainder of his $5MM expiring contract. The Pacers acquired Budinger from the Timberwolves this past offseason when the plan was to move Paul George to power forward. While Budinger didn’t see much burn for Indiana, the Suns could benefit from his ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting, though Budinger’s mark of 29.9% from deep on the season would be a career low if it stands.
Suns Sign Alan Williams To 10-Day Deal
TUESDAY, 11:39am: The signing is official, the team announced. The contract will cover five games, against the Knicks, Nuggets, Warriors, Timberwolves and Jazz.
MONDAY, 2:59pm: The Suns plan to sign Alan Williams to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The big man who went undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara this past summer is a Phoenix native who led the Chinese Basketball Association in rebounding, as Charania points out. The 23-year-old Williams posted 20.8 points and 15.4 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game for Qingdao in the months after making summer league appearances for the Rockets and Hornets. Phoenix has two open roster spots and is in line to save money with the Sixers reportedly poised to claim Sonny Weems off waivers, so the Suns have no shortage of flexibility for the Williams deal, which would cost a paltry $30,888.
Williams impressed on Houston’s Las Vegas summer league team, earning All-Tournament Second Team honors after putting up 20.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per contest over four appearances. It was a breakout performance after Charlotte gave him only 8.1 minutes per game in the Orlando summer league. Still, he was on NBA radars before that. He posted double-figure rebounding averages in each of his final three seasons in college and worked out for the Suns, among other NBA teams, before the draft.
Phoenix is dabbling heavily in short-term deals with only 12 players signed through at least the end of the season. The Suns already have point guard Phil Pressey on his second 10-day contract, which expires Thursday night. Williams is about to become the sixth player to sign a 10-day contract with the Suns this year, as our 10-day Tracker shows.
Western Notes: Augustin, Gordon, Barton, Varejao
Nuggets deadline trade acquisition D.J. Augustin has quickly taken to his new surroundings and says he’d love to re-sign with Denver when he hits free agency this summer, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. Coach Michael Malone is a fan of the point guard, particularly his offense, as Dempsey relays.
“I would love to be here,” Augustin said. “It’s a great city, great fans. I love the coaching staff and organization. Everything is great. So, I would love to find a home here.”
Augustin hoped for a chance to join a team that would give him more playing time as he faded from the Oklahoma City rotation this season, and while he expressed his appreciation to the Thunder for facilitating such a deal, he said he didn’t ask for a trade, Dempsey notes. See more on the Nuggets amid news from the Western Conference:
- Eric Gordon is having surgery today on his broken right ring finger, a source told Scott Agness of VigilantSports (Twitter link). No timetable exists for the soon-to-be free agent who suffered the injury Saturday, though the Pelicans reportedly fear it’s a season-ender. It’s the same finger Gordon broke in January, an injury that forced him to miss about five weeks. The final day of the regular season is five weeks from Wednesday.
- Malone knew little about Will Barton when the coach took over the Nuggets in the offseason, but the 25-year-old shooting guard is team’s second leading scorer this year, the first on a new three-year, $10.6MM deal, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee examines. “I’d be lying to you if I said I expected him to play as well as he has this year,” Malone said. “He’s a hard worker. He committed himself to getting better, coming back as an improved player and, like all players, I feel he’s taken full advantage of the opportunity given him. We play him 25, 30 minutes a night, put the ball in his hands and allow him to make plays and he’s done a great job of doing that, especially in the open court.”
- Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk acknowledged that recent signee Anderson Varejao isn’t what he used to be, but Schlenk said in a radio appearance with Matt Steinmetz on 95.7 The Game’s “NBA This Week” show that Varejao and Joakim Noah were the best centers in the NBA three years ago. The 33-year-old Varejao only twice averaged double-figures in either points or rebounds, peaking in 2012/13 at 14.1 points and 14.4 rebounds per game, though he played only 25 games that season because of injury.
Nets Hire Trajan Langdon As Assistant GM
The Nets have named Cavs front office executive Trajan Langdon as their assistant GM, Brooklyn announced via press release. The 39-year-old Langdon had just joined Cleveland as director of player administration and basketball operations this past September. He’ll rejoin new Nets GM Sean Marks, his former colleague in the Spurs front office, where Langdon worked as a pro scout from 2012 to 2015. Marks indicated via Brooklyn’s statement that the Cavs green-lighted the in-season move.
“We are very pleased to welcome Trajan and his family to the Brooklyn Nets,” Marks said in the statement. “Trajan is someone I worked with closely at the Spurs, and he brings a unique combination of NBA and European experience to the position. Trajan’s recent front office post with Cleveland added to his professional resume, and I want to thank the Cavs for their cooperation in this effort. The Nets look forward to Trajan’s contributions.”
Langdon is most well-known for his time playing at Duke, the alma mater of former Nets GM Billy King. The native of Alaska has further connections with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, board member Sergey Kushchenko and rumored coaching candidate Ettore Messina, all of whom were affiliated with Russia’s CSKA Moscow when Langdon had a successful run as a player for that team, NetsDaily notes (on Twitter).
The Cavaliers drafted Langdon 11th overall in 1999, though he spent three only seasons as an NBA player, all of them with Cleveland. He was with the Clippers for training camp in 2004 but didn’t appear in the regular season for them.
Frank Zanin already holds the title of assistant GM for the Nets, who previously carried two assistant GMs when they employed Zanin and Bobby Marks, with whom the team parted ways last spring. It’s unclear what the hiring of Langdon means for the future of Zanin, who ran the front office while the team searched for King’s replacement.